If you have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer it is likely to be a worrying time and you will have lots of decisions to make and information to absorb. If you have chosen or been have advised to have a radical prostatectomy, one of the things that may have been mentioned to you is the chance of experiencing urinary incontinence post-treatment.
To read more about what a radical prostatectomy, entails please visit prostate cancer UK.
In the following sections we would like to give you some advice on what will happen to you in the coming weeks and to help you to prepare for coping with a catheter after surgery and bladder leakage in the coming weeks.
Immediately after your surgery you will have a catheter in place and you will pass urine through this tube and into a collection bag. You are likely to have the catheter in place for to three weeks and you will be sent home with this catheter. Here is some practical advice about looking after the catheter during this time.
You will have an appointment to return to the clinic/hospital to have it removed. Immediately following removal of the catheter you will be unable to control your bladder and will have bladder leakage .
For practical help and advice on these different stages click on the links in the text or on the photographs above